with hope, life is more than just bearable

Cleaning House

Cleaning House. A Mom’s 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement.

Kay Wills Wyma

WaterBrook Press

2012

278 pages

About This Book

Is Your Home Out of Order?

Do your kids think that clean, folded clothes magically appear in their drawers? Do they roll their eyes when you suggest they clean the bathroom? Do you think it’s your job to pave their road to success? As parents, so often we hover, race in to save, and do everything we can for our kids—unintentionally reinforcing their belief that the world revolves around them.

When Kay Wyma realized that an attitude of entitlement had crept into her home, this mother of five got some attitude of her own. Cleaning House is her account of a year-long campaign to introduce her kids to basic life skills. From making beds to grocery shopping to refinishing a deck chair, the Wyma family experienced for themselves the ways meaningful work can transform self-absorption into earned self-confidence and concern for others.

With irresistible humor and refreshing insights, Kay candidly details the ups and downs of removing her own kids from the center of the universe. The changes that take place in her household will inspire you to launch your own campaign against youth entitlement. As Kay says, “Here’s to seeing what can happen when we tell our kids, ‘I believe in you, and I’m going to prove it by putting you to work.’”

I love the title of this book being the organizer that I am. I found Cleaning House to be entertaining and story-like in the way the author retold her experiment. The book’s chapters are the monthly new task/tasks that she implemented in her house. Each chapter ended with what her children learned and what she learned. Chapters also included some practical tips from other moms. A few bible verses were included and many practical biblical applications could be found throughout the book.

Like almost any book, there are a few things I disagreed with. We’ve previously addressed many of the tasks mentioned – with varying degrees of success – in our home. I agree that it’s well worth the effort to rid entitlement, youth or otherwise, and to value meaningful work.

But I can’t ignore the serious consequences of allowing youth entitlement to continue unchecked. These kids are part of the generation that will be leading the world in a few short years. Not only that, but they – all of us, in fact – were created to work. It’s been around since the beginning of time, an integral part of man’s existence, a privilege before we made it toil. (Genesis 2-3) page 12

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for an honest opinion. A positive review is not guaranteed, and all opinions are my own. No other compensation was received.